Tips & Tricks

If you use aggregated search - Here's some suggestions that may help you get even more out of your search results.

1
You may notice that some of your searches return far more results than expected.
This will happen i.e. when you are looking for 'Support Manager'. If you simply put the words 'Support' and 'Manager' in the search bar, Apsearch will give you all the results found both for Support and Manager as separate words.

To get controlled results, you will need to put your search query in quotes ("Support Manager") or use Boolean rules - In this case, only the candidates having this unique phrase within their CVs will be displayed.

2

Run a more accurate search from the outset.
Make sure you check all the available filters for each board by clicking " Options" - below the board icon on the main search page. You'll see all the same options should you run a direct search.

If the specific board options are not selected, then by default Apsearch will only use the search criteria on the main page.

3
An important note on search results.
A common reason some sites may have slightly different results when running searches directly is that there are over 1000 boards in the UK alone - some search using boolean rules, others not, some may require '+word +word' or include any phrase with gaps as a complete phrase as a whole, or take individual words. 
How the Apsearch web service works, is to 'unify' that query to be the most suitable across the boards that it is searching.

So, there may well be a slight variation on results if a client goes directly to the job board or does search with us.

The key thing to remember, is that there is a small percentage trade-off here that allows our clients to perform multiple, technically accurate searches in a fraction of the time that it would take to search manually. If you experience any issues in this respect, simplify the terms, and run another search. Remember all results will be stored, and you can rename the searches to suit.

4
You may find that idibu's results might be slightly different from the candidates returned by board directly.
We cannot always guarantee the exact results as the board may show directly, as board settings are subject to change at anytime. Apsearch will however produce an accurate result much, much faster across multiple boards to make the trade-off more than beneficial.
5
Rather than leave your searches entitled with the exact search terms used to run the search, you may re-name them inline with the position you are advertising.
For e.g:  'asp.net, Sql Server, Visual Basic' could be renamed 'Developer based in London'. Simply do this from the actions menu on the search history page.

6

Always make sure you are viewing your results by the correct 'Ranking' order. We'd suggest 'Rank - Desc'.
This will ensure you see the most suitable results first - Your browser will always remember your last setting:

7
Turning off Jobsite Captchas.
If you run searches on Jobsite or it's associated boards, here's a quick guide to turn off those captchas that can really slow you down: 

http://v2-docs.idibu.com/article/80-turning-off-jobsite-captchas

8
Getting better target results when searching the 'Local database'.While idibu is able to effectively filter candidates by postcode and radius on the job board databases, it is not always possible to search via postcode on your local (Aptrack) database.

This is due the fact CV's are submitted in many different formats and the postcode may not always be parsed. On the job boards themselves, there is often a specific postcode field that is filled in by the candidate on their personal profile. 

To get best results from your local database, set location to 'any' and try adding the required location in search keywords field. If the candidate has included the location in their CV then it will be picked up in the search.

9
Utilise Boolean search:
  • Use AND to narrow and refine your search. i.e. Developer AND London AND Java
  • Use OR to broaden your search. This searches for at least one of the terms in the statement and is best used to search for different terms that mean similar things. i.e. Customer Support OR Client Services OR Customer service executive
  • Use AND NOT to narrow and refine your search i.e. Project Manager AND NOT Construction
  • Use "quotation marks" to search for an exact phrase: i.e. "Java Developer"
  • Use an asterisk* (or Stemming) to search for words with the same root: i.e. admin* will return admin, administrator, administration etc (where supported by the board being searched).
  • Use parentheses to enclose an OR statement i.e. Project Manager AND (PMP OR PMI OR "Project Management Professional")
  • For Monster only: use NEAR to search for words and phrases that are mentioned within 10 words of each other in either direction. i.e. "JAVA Developer" NEAR ( jboss OR Websphere)
  • Monster Power Search uses semantic search, so not all Boolean values are required to find the best candidates:

                               - If 'AND' is used, the keywords will be marked as 'required'

                               - If 'OR' is used, the keywords will be marked as 'nice to have'

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